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August 1st and Those UFA Lists?
Luke Fox Of Sportsnet: August has arrived which means the arbitration or near arbitration game mixed in with some unrestricted free agents who have not quite signed yet.
As mentioned in several places and outlets, a Nazem Kadri deal could come at any time with the New York Islanders or not. Colorado was his first choice but they were handcuffed cap wise.
Then, things get less interesting or do they?
Patrice Bergeron is still not officially signed in Boston. Some think this is a done deal but the longer it goes…
The same goes with David Krejci. Hell, maybe Sweeney should consider bringing back Milan Lucic. Oh wait…
Either way, players like Sonny Milano and Evan Rodrigues are still not signed. Do they float into September or not? Even a player like Phil Kessel probably does not see a deal until then.
The teams could be waiting for “arbitration week” to finish. There are a few higher-profile cases potentially. Those include Jesper Bratt among others.
Oh Montreal and Jonathan Huberdeau?
Marco D’Amico of Montreal Hockey NOW: The Calgary Flames have Jonathan Huberdeau under contract right now but speculation for the Quebec native is just not going to go away. It is not a secret that Huberdeau loves the idea of playing one day for Montreal.
Again, Montreal would have to do some work to make this their “Artemi Panarin” deal. There is cap space to be cleared, etc. Montreal expects another top-ten draft pick for next summer and has built a solid prospect pool. The key is now making that signature signing and getting it right.
Lastly, There Will Always Be Vegas
Owen Krepps of Vegas Hockey NOW: The Vegas Golden Knights struck out on Matthew Tkachuk but clearly Kelly McCrimmon and company have much work to do still in the offseason.
Does Vegas get smart here? There are still some cheaper free agents out in the wilderness as they say. Players like Milano, Rodrigues (see Jack Eichel connection), etc. are available. First, there is that Keegan Kolesar arbitration on August 10th. Odds are a settlement comes before then.